The critically endangered western gorillas (
) are divided into two subspecies: the western lowland (
) and the Cross River (
) gorilla. Given the difficulty in sampling wild great ape populations ...and the small estimated size of the Cross River gorilla population, only one whole genome of a Cross River gorilla has been sequenced to date, hindering the study of this subspecies at the population level. In this study, we expand the number of whole genomes available for wild western gorillas, generating 41 new genomes (25 belonging to Cross River gorillas) using single shed hairs collected from gorilla nests. By combining these genomes with publicly available wild gorilla genomes, we confirm that Cross River gorillas form three population clusters. We also found little variation in genome-wide heterozygosity among them. Our analyses reveal long runs of homozygosity (>10 Mb), indicating recent inbreeding in Cross River gorillas. This is similar to that seen in mountain gorillas but with a much more recent bottleneck. We also detect past gene flow between two Cross River sites, Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mbe Mountains. Furthermore, we observe past allele sharing between Cross River gorillas and the northern western lowland gorilla sites, as well as with the eastern gorilla species. This is the first study using single shed hairs from a wild species for whole genome sequencing to date. Taken together, our results highlight the importance of implementing conservation measures to increase connectivity among Cross River gorilla sites.
Western gorilla diet: A synthesis from six sites Rogers, M. Elizabeth; Abernethy, Kate; Bermejo, Magdalena ...
American journal of primatology,
October 2004, Letnik:
64, Številka:
2
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
The geographical distribution of genetic variation within western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) was examined to clarify the population genetic structure and recent evolutionary history ...of this group. DNA was amplified from shed hair collected from sites across the range of the three traditionally recognized gorilla subspecies: western lowland (G. g. gorilla), eastern lowland (G. g. graueri) and mountain (G. g. beringei) gorillas. Nucleotide sequence variation was examined in the first hypervariable domain of the mitochondrial control region and was much higher in western lowland gorillas than in either of the other two subspecies. In addition to recapitulating the major evolutionary split between eastern and western lowland gorillas, phylogenetic analysis indicates a phylogeographical division within western lowland gorillas, one haplogroup comprising gorilla populations from eastern Nigeria through to southeast Cameroon and a second comprising all other western lowland gorillas. Within this second haplogroup, haplotypes appear to be partitioned geographically into three subgroups: (i) Equatorial Guinea, (ii) Central African Republic, and (iii) Gabon and adjacent Congo. There is also evidence of limited haplotype admixture in northeastern Gabon and southeast Cameroon. The phylogeographical patterns are broadly consistent with those predicted by current Pleistocene refuge hypotheses for the region and suggest that historical events have played an important role in shaping the population structure of this subspecies.
The thesis of this paper is that artistic clinical interventions must resonate with the client’s Complex Dynamical Systems (CDS) to facilitate an emergent recalibration of their systemic way of ...being. This thesis will be supported in the following chapters. The first chapter, That’s Not Art, will contextualize this argument, providing a historical framework that illustrates how current definitions of art continue to be problematic and insufficient. The following section, An Opus of Complexity, will attempt to answer this challenge by proposing a definition of art using the metaphor of CDS. This chapter will outline this theory then describe how art might be understood through this nonlinear lens. Fractal Pas de Deux: the Self and the Other, the next chapter, will endeavor to solidify the argument of how the arts might function using the language of CDS. This will be accomplished through providing an in-depth example of a hypothetical Mayan woman weaver, living in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. This example will be constructed using publicly published statements from Mayan women living in this area. The concluding chapter, Skirting Creative Colonization, will argue that ethics require clinicians keep a client’s CDS in mind when using any artistic intervention. This concept will be supported through the metaphor of synchronization, from theoretical physics which can be used to describe the interaction between client, therapist, and the arts-based clinical intervention. This final chapter will revisit the overall thesis of this paper, building on the preceding chapters to argue that artistic clinical interventions must resonate with a clients CDS to facilitate an emergent recalibration of a client’s systemic way of being.
This dissertation presents the first detailed descriptions of Cross River gorilla habitat, diet, ranging behavior and grouping patterns. Field work was conducted during 32 months between 1996 and ...1999 on Afi Mountain in Cross River State, Nigeria. The types of data collected include: (1) habitat types and topography mapped using line transects, (2) climate, (3) temporal and spatial availability of tree and herb foods using phenological and enumeration studies and (4) gorilla diet, ranging behavior and grouping patterns assessed from indirect evidence (feeding trails, nests and feces). The Afi gorilla diet was found to be similar to that of other western gorillas, but differed in several ways. Most notably, Afi gorillas experience a prolonged and more severe period of fruit scarcity due to the region's special climate and the absence of important fallback fruit foods that are common at other sites. This likely explains why leaves and particularly bark, were more abundant in the Afi gorilla diet compared to other western gorillas. As predicted by their frugivorous diet, Afi gorillas had a relatively large annual home range. Ranging behavior was clearly influenced by variation in temporal and spatial availability of tree and herb food resources and predation risk (human hunting) across their home range. The study group traveled longer distances daily when consuming widely scattered and/or patchy fruit or herb food resources. The study group utilized different sectors within their range in a non-random efficient manner corresponding to variation in availability of preferred foods across sectors and avoidance of sectors with high hunting pressure. The study group most often contained 18 nesting individuals including at least two adult males. Nest group size was highly variable between consecutive nest sites and seems to be best explained by flexible grouping behavior; alternative explanations were investigated and eliminated. The pattern of nest group size variability suggests that at times individuals of a smaller-sized group may have joined the study group, while on other occasions the study group may have divided into subgroups. Group flexibility occurred relatively frequently when gorillas consumed large amounts of fruit or preferred herbs during the period of fruit scarcity.
In this chapter we summarize information on the morphology, genetics, and natural history of the West African gorilla population inhabiting the forests on the Nigeria–Cameroon border at the northern ...headwaters of the Cross River, a region at the western and northern limits of the species' range. A recent morphological analysis of skeletal specimens from this population has shown that they are sufficiently distinct from other western gorillas to justify being classified as the subspecies Gorilla gorilla diehli, a taxonomic name originally applied to them in the early twentieth century (Sarmiento and Oates, 2000). Just as the distinctiveness of the Cross River gorillas is being appreciated, their continued survival is in jeopardy. Recent surveys suggest that approximately 250 probably remain, concentrated in nine or more isolated hill areas. Because these gorillas are still hunted for their meat and parts of their habitat are under threat, they are one of Africa's most endangered primate taxa. After reviewing data on the status of the Cross River gorillas, our chapter ends by discussing some options for improving their prospects for survival.In addition to the literature, the information we summarize derives from our own research: Field surveys in Nigeria (by JFO and KLM) and Cameroon (by JLG); an ecological study of a subpopulation inhabiting Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Nigeria (by KLM); and the sequencing of mtDNA extracted from hairs of Nigerian gorillas shed into sleeping nests (by RAB and JML in the laboratory of TRD). All our results should be regarded as preliminary.
Exposure to prenatal stress (PNS) has been shown to induce a set of psychological and behavioral changes in developing offspring. We used the rodent model to investigate whether PNS produces changes ...in the ability of the pup to express social motivation. We used a set of behavioral tasks including monitoring ultrasonic vocalizations after isolation, a conditioned place preference, and a novel and familiar odor approach test. Pregnant Long-Evans rats were exposed to an unpredictable, variable stressor twice daily during the third week of gestation. Isolation vocalizations were assessed on postnatal day (PND) 10. Pup affinity for the dam was evaluated on PND 15. Typically, pups display a selective preference for an odor-paired environment only after the odor has been associated with the dam. This previous association produces a positive conditioned stimulus (CS). Normally, pups exposed to a neutral CS (odor paired with cotton balls) do not form this place preference. Results indicate that PNS exposed pups had significantly increased distress vocalizations and an equal preference for the positive and neutral conditioned stimuli. This type of alteration in forming early preferences could be detrimental because of decreases in the specificity of social learning and an impaired responsiveness in social relationships.
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